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Press Release

Survey on Illegal Dumping of Industrial Waste in FY 2003

April 28, 2004

The Ministry of the Environment carried out a national survey, through prefectural governments and municipalities with public health centers, in order to grasp the cases of industrial waste treated not complying with the standards for treatment of industrial waste or specially controlled industrial waste which are stipulated in the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law or cases of illegal dumping (hereinafter referred to as the "illegal dumping cases") which were known as of November 2003.

The subject of survey was industrial waste defined in the law. The survey was made as to the unsolved illegal dumping cases as of April 1, 2004. Questionnaires were sent to prefectural governments and municipalities with public health centers with regard to illegal dumping cases to find out the number of those cases not solved and residual quantity of untreated waste. All the questionnaires were recovered and the result was summarized as follows*.

Note:    An illegal dumping case in Tsubakibora, Gifu city, uncovered on March 2004 is not included in this survey.
1.    Number of unsolved illegal dumping cases and their residual quantity

The number of unsolved cases was 2,505. The cases in which residual quantity of untreated waste was confirmed were 2285 and the total residual quantity was 10.96 million tons.

2.    Cases looked by volume

When cases are looked by the scale of their volume, large scale unsolved cases with wastes more than 100 thousands tons were only 18 cases, less than 1% of the total cases. On the contrary, total residual quantity of these large scale cases was 4.87 million tons and constituting 44% of the total residual quantity.

3.    Types of waste disposed

In 1,666 cases, 67% of the total illegal dumping cases, the waste disposed were construction waste. The residual quantity was 6.16 millions tons, 56% of the total residual quantity.

4.    Exposed year

Looking at the unsolved cases by the year when they were exposed, 558 cases (22%) in 2002 and 536 cases (21%) in 2001 were prominent. As for the residual quantity, they were 2 million tons (18%) in 1999, 1.95 million tons (18%) in 2000, and 1.44 million tons (13%) in 1997.

5.    Parties involved

The top three parties responsible for illegal dumping cases were: 839 cases (34%) were disposed by business entities generating the waste, 652 cases (26%) by unknown parties, and 575 cases (23%) by waste treatment operators without license. The residual quantity by the top three parties were: 4.09 million tons (37%) by licensed waste treatment operator, 3.36 million tons (31%) by waste treatment operators without license, and 1.45 million tons (13%) by business entities generating the waste.

6.    Cases affecting the living environment

The illegal dumping cases which affect or may affect the living environment are 514 cases (21%). The residual quantity of these cases is 5.86 million tons (53%).

7.    Order for action and administrative subrogation

Out of 5.86 million tons of residual quantity which affect the living environment, orders for action were issued to approximately 3.51 million tons and administrative subrogation has started or is planned for 2.47 million tons. The primary responsibility on these illegal dumping cases should be borne by disposers and business entities generating the waste who commissioned inappropriate disposal. Therefore, in principle, the elimination of the condition affecting the living environment must be executed by them.

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